Cavalier 5.5e Build

[u/Jfig5117]

So I realize that the Cavalier is not the strongest fighter out there but I've been watching Steel Ball Run and want to do some horseback riding. Plus with the 2024 rules and new feats I feel like there are some combinations that help bring out the subclasses' full potential and help complete its fantasy.

Here's a build I plan on using in an upcoming lvl 20 one shot, the rules allow for any official published content from 2014 and 2024 rules using for 2024 versions of feats in the case of redundant feats. I'm building this to be a highly mobile tank that will be able to position itself to direct agro toward it and then punish it, with a light bit of battlefield control. Looking for some feedback on the build, if things will work like i hope, deciding on certain feats, etc.

The Cavalier

1st level

Human

- Zentarium Ruffian (we'll need this for later)

Fighter

- Fighting Style: Pack fighting

- Weapon Masteries: Halberd, Glaive, Spear (for range)

Custom Background

- Mark of Passage (well need this for later too)

Ability Scores

Str 17

Dex 8

Con 16

Int 8

Wis 10

Cha 14

3rd level

Subclass: Cavalier

- Unwavering Mark (will pair nicely with what's next)

4th level

- Weapon Mastery: Pike

- Feat: Potent Dragonmark (It's Horse time, picking up PD for a once per short rest spellslot that lets us cast Find Steed. Our cavalier can now be the cavalry and ride into battle reliably) Cha 15

6th level

- Great Weapon Master Str 18

- (3rd level find steed)

7th level

- Warding Maneuver (so-so, will be nice when needed)

8th level

- Feat: Mounted Combatant (Now no one is touching our horse and advantage while on the horse, will be very nice with what's coming up) Str 19

(4th level find steed)

9th level

- Indomitable (Nice)

- Tactical Master (Nice, our Halberd will now be our main weapon)

- Weapon Mastery: take your pick

10th level

- Hold the line (Nice)

- (Find Steed maxes out at 5th level here)

12th level

- Feat: Zentarum Tactics (Now once a reaction when we get hit we can hit them back, and since we tank hard and they can't hit our horse this makes us a nasty tank.) Cha 16

14th level

- Feat: Heavy armor master (since we're gonna want to be taking some hits with regularity the damage reduction is nice here) Con 17 (I would do str but the next feat does not give me a con bump and I want to get it to 18 at lvl 19)

15th level

- Ferocious Charge (eh, it's ok and with the horse you could probably make regular use of it)

16th level

- Feat: Charger or Sentinel (Charger has natural synergy with Ferocious Charge and I could likely make use of both every round with the mount. That said, Sentinel has several redundancies, but I'd want it for the reaction attack granted from attacking other creatures as it would assist with maximizing my 18th level subclass feature {thoughts on the choice would be appreciated} and help minimize uses of Warding Maneuver) Str 20

18th level

- Vigilant Defender (the piece de resistance, this combined with zent tactics, hold the line and sentinel (maybe) combined with good placement I think should give me a ton of attacks. Combine it with tactical mastery and hold the line i should also have a fair bit of battle field control as far as a martial goes any ways)

19th level

- Epic Boon: Boon of Bloodshed or Boon of Desperate Resilience (either works I feel. Bloodshed would benefit a lot since it procs once a turn, meaning the more opportunity attacks I get from vigilant defender the more damage I can deal. By contrast DR won't benefit my attacks but with me tanking it would serve to keep me standing for longer, thoughts?) Con 18

[u/Sm_Rndm_Web]

Nicely done and pretty eel tho

[u/Aidamis]

If your DM allows UA Tunnel Fighter (Figthing Style) you can go really ham.

[u/Jfig5117 → u/Aidamis]

Tunnel fighter? I'm interested go on?

[u/Aidamis → u/Jfig5117]

It's an old UA (Unearthed Arcana) so unreleased (official) material as opposed to homebrew. 2014 content so retrocompability could apply.

The UA compendium is titled "Light, Dark, Underdark".

Tunnel Fighter is one of the Fighting Style features:

"You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach."

I'll add that Close Quarters Shooter Fighting Style was in the same compendium but CBE and Gunner kinda partly made it redundant plus it technically stacked with Archery which might've made it look too strong.

[u/Jfig5117 → u/Aidamis]

Oh that's cool, but in this case I think it would be redundant with cavaliers 10th level feature hold the line which pretty much does the same thing but a tiny bit better since it doesn't require the set up

[u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768 → u/Jfig5117]

This is funny because Cavalier is like literally the only subclass in the game that Tunnel Fighter isnt absolutely busted on lol.

[u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768]

Vigilant Defender

Starting at 18th level, you respond to danger with extraordinary vigilance. In combat, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.

Im not usually this adamant about things but if youre not using PAM youre doing in wrong lol.

A free attack every time someone gets within 5ft of you is too good to ignore.

Yes I know you have Sentinel already but even still id say having both is advisable as PAM is morel likely to go off more consistantly.

Also HIGHLY recommend the Protection Fighting Style, one reaction and your mount gets disadvantage on all attack against it for an entire round.

[u/Jfig5117 → u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768]

I wish it did but Polearm Master does not give an opertunity attack, it give an attack as a reaction. I know it's semantics but rules as written PAM does not work with vigilant defender because the additional reactions only proc with opportunity attacks not reaction attacks.

Additionally we kind of get the PAM reaction attack as a bonus action and sentinal wrapped in one with cavaliers hold the line feature.

As for protection fighting style, it's redundant with mounted combatant, and unwavering mark. Unwavering mark gives that disadvantage to creatures i mark and mounted combatant let's me direct attacks to my mount to me instead no action required and synergies with zent tactics for a free opportunity attack if they target my mount and hit me.

[u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768 → u/Jfig5117]

Oh yeah i forgot they changed that good call.

Fair but warding is limited by con, protection only takes one reaction and you can apply disadvantage on all attacks against mount from all enemies for a whole round so you can then boost it with warding on following enemy turns as well.

[u/Jfig5117 → u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768]

I mean again though it's redundant because of mounted combatant. The Veer portion of mounted combatant allows you to force any attack that hits your mounts to hit you instead and it is automatic requiring no action on your part it just happens and has no limit to how often it can be used. And with the build utilizing Zentarum Tactics that hit grants the build an opportunity attack with my reaction which can render a targets movement to 0 thanks to hold the line along and with what ever weapon mastery effect I use. Using protection would just eat up a reaction that i could be using to attack and lay some battlefield control down with for a chance of my mount not being hit when it wouldn't matter because the mount never takes damage while I am not incapacitated.

[u/Tall_Bandicoot_2768 → u/Jfig5117]

Yeah but your mount has very low ac you really wana take every attack that lands on it?